Author Archives: Jerry Beck

2012 Animation Emmy Nominations

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The 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced today by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Congratulations to all our animation industry honorees. These include:

Outstanding Animated Program
American Dad! – Fox Television Animation
Bob’s Burgers – BentoBox Entertainment
Futurama (The Tip Of The Zoidberg) – The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
The Penguins Of Madagascar (The Return Of The Revenge Of Dr. Blowhole) – Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation
The Simpsons (Holidays Of Future Passed) – Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Outstanding Short-format Animated Program
Adventure Time (Too Young) – Cartoon Network Studios
Disney Phineas And Ferb (The Doonkleberry Imperative) – Disney Channel
MAD (Kitchen Nightmare Before Christmas / How I Met Your Mummy) – Warner Bros. Animation
Regular Show (Eggscellent) – Cartoon Network Studios
Robot Chicken (Fight Club Paradise) – Stoopid Monkey, Shadow Machine, Williams Street

Outstanding Voice-Over Performance

Disney Phineas And Ferb: Across The 2nd Dimension – Disney Channel
Dan Povenmire as Doctor Doofenshmirtz

Disney Prep & Landing: Naughty Vs. Nice – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Rob Riggle as Noel

Futurama • The Silence Of The Clamps – The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Maurice LaMarche as Clamps, Donbot, Hyperchicken, Calculon, Hedonismbot, Morbo

The Looney Tunes Show • Double Date – Warner Bros. Animation
Kristen Wiig as Lola

The Simpsons • Moe Goes From Rags To Riches – Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak, Duffman, Mexican Duffman, Carl, Comic Book Guy, Chief Wiggum

Complete list of nominees here.

“What Is Dead May Never Die” by Kadavr Exquis

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Okay, all you lovers of experimental animation – here’s one for you: What is Dead May Never Die by Kadavre Exquis (aka François Grumelin-Sohn) a french graphic designer and musician living in the Netherlands. The film celebrates various images of retro technology, influenced by the utilitarian design of NASA computers, TV logos, film credits and other lo-fi animation from the 1970s and 80s. None of this is stock footage, it’s all created by Exquis – who also released a small soundtrack CD composed with various jingles he created for the film.

Oswald Rabbit takes the lead in “Epic Mickey 2″

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This was just screened at Comic Con and worth a look – it’s the intro to the forthcoming Epic Mickey 2 video game, featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Gus Gremlin and a host of early 30s Disney bit players.

While we’re at it – and not to be a complete shill for the product – this promo (below) on the history of Disney’s Oswald is pretty good. Game designer Warren Spector and Disney archivist Becky Cline discuss and review the history of the character. Makes me feel good to see a 1920s cartoon star re-emerge with such fanfare in the 21st Century. The prospects for reviving Koko the Clown and Farmer Al Falfa are looking better every day.

(Thanks, Matthew Gaastra)

UPDATE: Dreamworks to acquire Classic Media

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UPDATE 7/23: It’s official! The Wall Street Journal has reported that Dreamworks is paying $155 million to acquire Classic Media LLP, owners of numerous cartoon stars and iconic intellectual properties.

Classic Media will now operate under the name DreamWorks Classics and co-Chief Executives Eric Ellenbogen and John Engelman will remain as co-heads, though the exact organizational structure is still being sorted out.

ORIGINAL 7/16 POST: According to The New York Times, Dreamworks Animation has made an offer to acquire Classic Media – the owners of UPA, the Harvey Comics library (Casper, Richie Rich, etc), Roger Ramjet, Underdog and Total Television properties, The Lone Ranger and many Rankin-Bass specials including Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Classic Media also represents many intellectual properties owned by others including Jay Ward shows (Rocky & Bullwinkle, George of the Jungle, etc.), Felix The Cat and Archie.

I, for one, would like to see Dreamworks Animation complete this deal. It’s good business for Dreamworks and it could be a good home for the characters. Certainly better than the hands they’re in now. It’s debatable how well Classic Media did licensing its properties throughout the years. Their handling of DVD releases of its classic material was particularly irritating. The company’s track record of making new movies from its classic properties (think Underdog, or the upcoming Johnny Depp Lone Ranger movie) was troubling.

Dear Jeffrey,

Good luck acquiring Classic Media. I hope you succeed.

I understand you are planning a Dreamworks theme park in New Jersey – these characters will augment the stars of Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda you’ll have running around there. I look forward to seeing Casper’s Haunted Mansion, exploring Richie Rich’s Enchanted Money Vault, and taking a spin on Mister Magoo’s Wild Ride. Should be fun!

I also look forward to seeing CGI, 48-frames-per-second, 3D versions of Go-Go Gophers, Tennesse Tuxedo and Baby Huey – but I hope you will consider releasing UPA’s Boing Boing Show on DVD (or for download) and restoration of the Harveytoons with their original credits and titles.

You will have an incredibly rich library with dozens of strong, pre-sold properties with famous name characters that are beloved by millions. If you take good care of them and treat them right, you will be rewarded with more than just my gratitude. They’ll repay Dreamworks back many times over. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

Seriously,

Jerry Beck

More Comic Con finds

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A last look at some of my coolest finds at the Con. And here’s a real winner: this unframed cel, found in a stack of MGM odds and ends.

The Con is over. I’m safely back at home. The event has forever turned into a Hollywood Mardi Gras, with an actual comics convention under the surface. And if you dig deep enough, you can still find stuff like this: a Barney Bear title card layout and a Rudolf Ising credit title cel (they happened to be one on top of another and I thought it looked good):

Or this original title card layout drawing for The Univited Pest (1943)

These boots are made for walking… in cycles! Someone was selling a pair of cool Hanna Barbera shoes from the 60s.

Courageous Cat returns!

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Yesterday, at virtually the same time I was extolling the praises of producer Sam Singer (the “Ed Wood of Animation“) at my Comic Con presentation of the Worst Cartoons Ever!, Deadline Hollywood broke the news that Evergreen Media Group has made a deal with Telefeatures to acquire rights to the 1960s cartoon series Courageous Cat. According to Deadline’s Mike Fleming:

Evergreen is prepping a contemporary live-action/CGI feature with a new mythology for the character, one of only two properties originated by Batman creator Bob Kane that isn’t owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Telefeatures syndicated the original cartoon series, which Kane created as a parody of his earlier Batman work. “For years we resisted overtures for the property,” Telefeatures director Debbie Litt said. “However, because of Tony and Evergreen’s longstanding track record of finding great new takes to reboot classic properties we had a significant comfort level in entrusting them with Courageous Cat.”

The other non-DC property by Bob Kane, referred to the article, is Cool McCool (owned by King Features/Hearst Entertainment). Courageous Cat was probably the best known – and best produced, but that’s not saying much – of Sam Singer’s output, which included such notable productions as Pow Wow The Indian Boy, Bucky and Pepito and the infamous Paddy Pelican.

Courageous Cat was a parody of Kane’s Batman and Robin – done with much less style and wit than the 1966 Adam West show. It’s not funny enough – nor bad enough, I will admit – to be shown in my Worst-Of programs. But boy, Hollywood is really scouring the bottom of the barrel to cash in on the current super-hero craze. What next, Sinbad Jr.?

“Ice Age 4″ (and “Simpsons” short) talkback

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Betsy Sharkey in The Los Angeles Times generally liked it – saying “The dialogue is sometimes too sluggish and definitely too preachy, the ending is a little too sappy, yet somehow this strange collection of prehistoric critters and their completely illogical life are consistently likable, if not quite lovable.”

A.O. Scott in The New York Times also found it watchable: “It may be too much to expect novelty – then again, why shouldn’t we? – but a little more conviction might be nice. “Continental Drift,” like its predecessors, is much too friendly to dislike, and its vision of interspecies multiculturalism is generous and appealing.”

Both critics – and everyone else – agrees that the new Simpsons short, The Longest Daycare is worth the price of admission. I’m stuck at Comic Con and will have to wait until next week to catch up. Help me out – if you’ve seen Ice Age 4 and the Simpson’s short – and only if you’ve really seen them – please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Comic Con sights

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Reasons I still go to Comic Con… to see stuff I can’t afford, but am delighted still exists. Here’s a few snaps from my iPhone:

A Scrappy booklet printed on fabric!

A one-page glossy flyer (not a magazine trade ad) sent to theater owners in 1954:

Disney is giving out these Oswald caps – and it seems like half the convention attendees are wearing them!

“Animaniacs” Show Tunes – Live!

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Hellooo, Nurse! Animaniacs fans in L.A. later this month are in for a treat. Voice actor Rob Paulsen (Yakko) and composer Randy Rogel will perform songs from the Steven Spielberg/Warner Bros. animated series’ Animaniacs for a live podcast. On Friday night, July 27th, Paulsen and Rogel will take center stage at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club at Universal City Walk to sing some of Animaniacs most memorable tunes including Yakko’s World, Yakko’s America, I’m Mad, Variety Speak, The Presidents Song along with several musical numbers that never made it into the animated series. The 90-minute show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online. According to the press release:

Since 2011, Paulsen has been hosting his own weekly podcast series based around cartoons. The shows have been such a hit on iTunes; they’ve reached #1 in the audio Film and TV category. Some of animation’s biggest stars have been guests on Paulsen’s show including actor Mark Hamill, Debi Derryberry (voice of Jimmy Neutron and Speedy Alka Seltzer), Bill Farmer (voice of Disney’s Goofy and Pluto), Kevin Michael Richardson (voice of Cleveland Brown Jr. from The Cleveland Show), and Emmy Award winner Maurice LaMarche (voice of The Brain from Pinky & The Brain, The Chief on Inspector Gadget, Futurama) to name a few.

Comic Con Day #0

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I’m heading down to Comic Con right now and will be there tonight and for the next few days. In addition to funky old comics, here’s a couple of new items I’ll be looking for in the dealers room:

South Park designer and storyboard artist Greg Postma is sharing some space at booth #1223 with his fellow co-workers, selling a sketchbook compiling production sketches from the first 8 seasons of the show. The Bunker also includes samples of the artists own work. Finally the talent behind the show step out from behind the scenes. Can you buy it online? I’m not sure, but here’s the website associated with it.

When you work on kid shows all day, you’re bound to create something a bit dark. Nick, Sony and Dreamworks story artist Jeremy Bernstein has new book out in time for Comic Con. His sixth self published book in six years – Texts – takes drawings done in workshop and mashed them up with hand written text messages that were in his phone. Sounds strange, but Bernstein’s art is always worth the trip.